Blog #7 Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

After reading the chapter "Every Tongue Shall Confess," I came across several story telling techniques that the author utilizes well to keep the chapter interesting. From the beginning of the chapter, author Z.Z. Packer sets the scene well for the reader, describing Clareese's aunt Alma's room similar to a hospital, filled with "perpetual snores and hacking and weezing."
One description from Packer I found to be interesting and very descriptive was her description of Cleophus. Upon changing Mr. Toomey's catheter, "Cleophus had watched her, laughing under his breath, then outright, a waxing and waning of hilarity as if her every gesture were laughably prim and proper." Packer's description is very elaborate, showing emotions and gestures from both the outside as well as the inside.
Packer's story telling techniques in this particular chapter place the reader as if they were there witnessing all that is going on, from the Deacon to the situation with Mr. Toomey and Cleophus. Clareese's description of the hospital rooms "had given her solace; the way everything was clean, clean, clean; the many patients that had been in each room, some nice, some dying, some willing to accept the Lord...now the clean hospital room was just a reminder of the emptiness, the barrenness, of her patients' souls." I found this excerpt from this chapter eerie yet true, hospitals see several patients and the rooms are occupied day in and day out. Even if there is a death in that very same room, the hospital does its best to make its future patients are comfortable and not reminded that people pass away at hospitals.
Lastly, Packer's use of quotes are memorable as well. She spaces letters and capitalizes them to show that the Pastor is preaching loudly and proudly. There is constant reference to the Bible throughout the chapter, whom Sister Clareese reminds herself constantly of.